The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-08-12
THE NATIONS WEALTH


s NC'sN oW6Seb"
~ EaelIshna.'s vbsw Of the Rspss
Growth 81 Our Inaustriaa.
It Is not often that the position Of
the United States. either financially
or in its manufacturing progress, il
fairly handled by An Englishman. but
an article BY James Keith. in tho
NSncseentk Century Magazine, must At
tract much attention by it, fairness
and candor. An Englishman's COM
parison Of the resources and advan-
tages Of this country and those a
Great Britain certainly appeals TO the
pride and hope Of Americans. Ths
writer treats Of the great disadvan-
tages under which the people Of Great
Britain have to fight the commercial
battle Of life with the same English
speaking people in the United States.
and he aims to point out how the
people Of Great Britain. who. he
claims. are equally clever and in
geniOus with the Americans. can rum
even with them. if not beat them in
the race.
1t is interesting for us to note tho
method in which Mr.. Keith Classics
the advantages which we enjoy in tho
United States. and sets over against
them the corresponding limitations in
Great Britain. 1t is often of great
value for us to see ourselves as others
see us. Mr.. Keith gives prominence
to the encouragement given here to in
vention by the Government in our lib
eral patent laws, and by the people in
their quick appreciation of novel i'm
plements and machinery. In Great
Britain invention is practically dis
cOuraged by the Government owing
to the fact that the fees for the patents
are twenty-five times as great for pro-
lection for period three years shorter
than in the United States. The cost Of
suits under the patent laws in Great
Britain is excessive, and often destruct-
i've Of justice.
Referring to the subject Of taxation.
the writer shows the condition in the
United States to be more favorable
than in Great Britain. Mentioning our
internal taxes. he says: "At present
the Americans pay noimperial taxation
whatever. the whole Government and
civil service expenditure being paid
out of the import duties; there are No
church rates in any shape or form
there being no established church
Qhough it is a thoroughly Christian
country. the people more church
going and the ministers Of religion
better paid than in this country; the
local taxes are much less in proportion
than they are in this country, there
being nothing like the grinding pow
erty and misery we have here"
In Great Britain the public groans
under imperial taxation and the cost
of sustaining royalty, while many i'm
pOrtant industries are borne down by
the dead weight imposed BY the Brit
ish Government
In the United States Mr.. Keith re-
marks that every child is thoroughly
educated at the expense of the nation.
and education is therefore free; in fact.
it is compulsory. Mr.. Keith goes too
far concerning the general applications
of the compulsory principle. which ex-
lists in this country only in a few States.
He is right in principle that it should
be Of general application. In Great
Britain poor people try every expedf
ent to cut short the school term Of
their children in order to get their help
in supporting their families. The bal
ance in the number and excellence of
common schools is much in favor of
this country.
In consequence of these and other
contrasts, Mr.. Keith puts the United
States at least twenty years ahead Of
Great Britain in invention and in COM
nlercial and political advancement.
He remarks that such rivalries the
British people must meet, and he pro-
poses to remove the disadvantages of
the English public by legislation, and
arouse the people SO that they too may
become. like the Americans, enlight-
encd and progressive.
VI COURSE MT. AcltH, ~ q tIue Eli
glishman. is free-trader. and claims
to fear that the United States may
abandon protection, and thus force
down the price of labor here and be-
come a more dangerous competitor in
the worlds markets. H. perhaps does
not understand that lower wages would
greatly damage our own home mar
kets. and thus cripple the Indictment
to production and the general prosper
ity. Americans generally are content
to maintain our standard Of wages, and
continue to be. as they have already
become, in the words of the writer,
1.-THE greatest agricultural, manufacture.
ing and mining nation in the world.
with unlimited credit" 1t is singular
that We have among us. in this coun-
try. men of intelligence who would de-
sire to place the American working
man on level with his English broth
er. The pride of this country should
be in the intelligence and prosperity
of the working-men. who comprise the
great majority of our population.-
Boston Budget